Spoon and fork construction.



G. HEIDELBERG.

SPOON AND FORK CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED 11111.24, 1914.

Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. FHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON, D c.

GUSTAV HEIDELIBERG, OF NEW YORK, 1\T.

sroon auto roars oonsraucrron.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

Application filed January 24, 1914.. SeriaINo. 814,102.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUsTAv HEIDELBERG, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing in New York, in the State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Spoon and Fork Construction, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a spoon and fork construction which has aself-supporting engagement with the edge of a vessel when disposedtherein and which will maintain a horizontal position for holding thecontents of the bowl when laid down outside the vessel.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is an elevation showing a spoonand a fork, each embodying the invention, Fig. 2 is a top-view of Fig.1, and Fig. 3 is a side-view of a spoon embodying the invention.

Similar reference numerals indicate corresponding parts in the figures.

This article of tableware consists of a onepiece structure and comprisesa bowl 11, a shank 10 extending backward from the upper rear edge of thebowl, a downwardly bent hook 13 at the outer end 12 of said shank at anacute angle thereto and the handle proper 17 extending backward from thelower end or nose 14 of said hook at an acute angle thereto. The hook 13is directed backwardly upon the handle, that is to say, the direction ofthe hook, as will be seen from the figures, is toward the bowl, wherebya secure hook is produced and not merely an offset in the handle. Theextent of this rearward bending, namely the degree of angle, is such asto cause the lower or outer end or nose 14 of the hook to be located,when the spoon is in use as seen in Fig. 1, vertically beneath the bead15 which is ordinarily found at the outside of the rim of a soup-tureenor other vessel 16 with which the spoon may be used. When in positionwithin the vessel, the bowl 11 rests on the bottom of the Vessel and isretained from slipping farther therein by the hook 13 which is engagedwith the rim and extends beneath the bead. The extension of the hook toa point beneath the bead 15 prevents disengagement of the spoon by amere accidental contact of the spoon-end 17 with any object, andrequires that a slight rearward movement be first given to the spoon andthen the same may be readily lifted by the hand of the user grasping therear-portion and has a bearing surface substantially even with that ofthe bowl and the shank of the handle extending between said bowl andsaid depressed portion is elevated. A spoon thus constructed has by itshook a self-supportingengagement with the edge of the vessel whendisposed therein, by its lower depression at the outer end of the handleit will maintain a horizontal position for holding the contents of thebowl when laid down outside the vessel and the elevated shank betweenthe bowl and the depressed outer end serves as a handle proper forgrasping the device when laid down. The bent handle thus performs atriple function of supporting the spoon within the vessel, maintainingit in operative position when outside the vessel, and providing a handleproper between its extremities for readily grasping the device when in ahorizontal position.

In order to prevent abrasion and wear of the hook on the rim of thevessel, which rim is frequently coated with gold or other easily worntrimming or decoration, the degree of return bend of the handle may beso great as to cause the point 13 of the hook to engage with the side ofthe vessel, below the bead 15,- and hold the upper portion of the hooklaterally outward out of contact with the lateral face of the bead. Suchconstruction is indicated in Fig. 1, in which a space is seen at 18between the lateral exposure of the bead and the pit of the hook. It isobvious that any degree of return bend may be employed which will securethe necessary resistance to displacement of the instrument by engagementof the hook with the bead when the instrument is lifted by its handle,and which will also cause the hook to engage the bead only, when atrest, or the vessel-side only, as with the fork 20 in Fig. 1, or withboth, so as to distribute the slight abrasion of the hook and therebyprevent injury to the vessel. The outer end 17 of the handle of theinstrument may be located substantially in the plane of the bowl of thespoon, as shown in full lines in Fig. '3, but for producing betterbalance of the instrument the outer end is bent upwardly as indicated indotted lines 21, thereby bringing the outer end into the plane of theforward portion of the handle, whereby the balance of the spoon isretained.

The term bowl in the claim may include either a forked bowl or a solidbowl.

I claim:

An article of tableware consisting of a one-piece structure comprising aconcave bowl, a shank extending backward from the rear edge thereof, adownturned hook at rest substantially in the plane of said bowl, saidshank forming an elevated bridge be- 15 tween s'a id bowl and handleadapted to serve as a grip when the spoon is in horizontal position.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signedmy name in 20 presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GUSTAV HEIDELBERG.

the outer end of said shank forming an acute angle therewith, and ahandle proper ex- Witnesses:

tending rearward from'the lower end of said JOSEPH H. NILES, hook at anacute angle thereto and'forming a F. Hoes.

wastes of this patent may be obtained. for ive cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Eateuts,

Washington, D. C.

